It is a course-based master's degree program in law held at
the Law School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All or almost all of the courses
are taken at the Law School. Students can take courses in other
departments at the University if the courses are related to the
student's overall study plan.

The Master of Laws-Legal Institutions degree started in the 1950s at the University of
Wisconsin as the Master of Legal Institutions degree program, a legal studies program that emphasized law's interaction
with other disciplines, such as economics, business, sociology, land
tenure, etc. Because of its interdisciplinary foundation, the Legal Institutions
program allows up to nine credits of law-related courses from other
University departments to be taken by LL.M.-Legal Institutions students who wish to do
this.

What kind of student is the LL.M.-Legal Institutions program designed for?

It is designed for men and women who have a basic law degree (LL.B.)
from a university outside the United States and who want to take
courses in American law in the U.S. in a one-year program. The program is also available to applicants from Japan who do not have a bachelor in laws degree but who have graduated from a Japanese J.D. program.

Usually around nine months. The fall entry program begins in September of each
year. The spring entry program begins in January. The program is designed to be completed in one academic year, not including summer months (September -
May, or January-May and September-December). Most students complete the LL.M.-Legal Institutions program in two semesters. Some students who begin in September
complete the program in early June or later in the summer. There are also students who request permission to complete the program in three semesters.

Twenty-four. The 24 credits include 3 credits of directed research
and 21 credits of coursework. At least 12 credits of the courses must
be Law School courses. The remaining 9 credits can be Law School
courses, courses from other University departments, or a combination of
both.

Yes. Students select most of their courses from the regular J.D. curriculum.
Students can also take up to nine credits of courses from other
University departments. (A typical course is three credits; the range
is generally two to four credits.)

After arriving on campus, each LL.M.-Legal Institutions student is assigned a Law
School professor as an advisor. This advisor assists the student with course choices. The student registers for courses after meeting with the advisor. The Graduate Programs Office helps LL.M.-Legal Institutions students schedule meetings with the advisors after the students arrive on campus.

How good does my English need to be to be eligible for the Legal Institutions program?

All of the courses in the Legal Institutions program are taught in English so
students need strong English proficiency. A TOEFL score of 100 (Internet-based) or 600
(paper-based) or above is desired. In some cases,
applicants with lower TOEFL scores but very strong academic records may be considered and accepted conditioned on taking an intensive English language program. In that case, applicants must show successful completion of the classes in the program indicating that the applicant's English ability has improved sufficiently to be able to handle the demands of the Legal Institutions program. For information, contact the
Graduate Admissions Committee, gradprog@law.wisc.edu.

The Graduate Admissions Committee prefers the TOEFL score (TOEFL Website). However, we will accept the IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
score as alternative to the TOEFL. The score on the IELTS should be 7.0 or higher.

Will the LL.M.-Legal Institutions program let me be eligible to take an American bar exam?

The United States does not have a national bar exam. Each state has
its own exam with its own rules. Graduates of the LLM-Legal Institutions program are
usually eligible to take the New York State bar examination if they have an undergraduate degree in law (LL.B.). They may be eligible if they have the Japanese J.D. degree. If you are interested in possibly taking a bar exam, look at the rules for the particular state you are interested in.

What are the eligibility requirements to apply to the LL.M.-Legal Institutions program?

A degree or diploma representing, at least, an equivalent of a B.A. or a
B.S. degree in the United States and that constitutes a first degree in law,
or a bachelor's degree and another degree that constitutes a first degree
in law (such as Japan's J.D. degree);

A Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, or a
B average, from your undergraduate work;

A TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score showing high
proficiency in English if your undergraduate work was not conducted in English.
High proficiency will ordinarily be demonstrated by a score of 100 (Internet-based) or 600 (Paper- Based Test) or higher.

Adequate Financial Resources. You must certify that you have a minimum of
approximately 56,000 for the 2011-2012 academic year. Applicants who wish to
bring family members with them will need a higher amount. Detailed information is at Tuition and Living Expenses.